GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A three-year volunteer-driven campaign to immunize children in local schools has made Alachua County residents among the most protected in the United States against contracting influenza.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Lawn fertilizer misuse is one of many factors degrading water quality in Florida and summertime fertilizer bans may not be a quick-fix solution, according to an updated report released this week by University of Florida scientists.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The graduate-school component of the University of Florida's groundbreaking Florida Master Teacher Initiative won the Association of Teacher Educators' coveted 2011 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award last week.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Red imported fire ant invasions around the globe in recent years can now be traced to the southern U.S., where the nuisance insect gained a foothold in the 1930s, new University of Florida research has found.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nicholas Kristof, one of the most respected columnists on foreign affairs working today, will discuss his work and outlook for the year ahead Feb. 28 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Nurses in Florida are falling behind national trends in terms of education — a direction that may affect patient safety and quality of care as well as the ability to educate the next generation of nursing professionals.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer confidence among Floridians remained at 77 out of 100 in February further demonstrating the public’s positive view of the economy, according to a new University of Florida survey.

GAINESVILLE, Fla — The University of Florida Office of Sustainability is hosting "REthink" this spring — a campaign to engage, educate, and empower Gators to consider waste in its many forms and the ways they can REduce, REuse, REcycle, REpurpose, REnew, REstore, and REspond in their own lives.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Russell Dalton, one of the nation’s leading experts on citizenship and the political process, will share his expertise Feb. 21 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Pine trees are one of the most important crops in the southeastern U.S., and a consortium led by University of Florida personnel has been awarded a five-year, $20 million federal grant to help landowners and foresters throughout the region adapt to and mitigate global climate change in coming decades.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The psychological effects of the BP oil spill, the largest recorded environmental disaster in human history, extend far beyond people living around the areas of the Gulf of Mexico that were directly impacted by the spill, a new study finds.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With expertise ranging from the inner brain to the ocean depths, as well as a “taste” for sensory exploration, four University of Florida researchers will share their knowledge at the American Association for the Advancement of Science 177th annual meeting beginning today in Washington, D.C.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For years, citrus growers have feared that abandoned groves provided refuge for the Asian citrus psyllid, an invasive insect that transmits citrus greening — now, University of Florida researchers say they were right.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers say their supercomputer, named Novo-G, is the world’s fastest reconfigurable supercomputer and is able to perform some important science applications faster than the Chinese supercomputer touted as the world’s most powerful.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Despite an ailing economy, Gators continue to give. The University of Florida Campaign for Charities raised more than $1 million for the sixth consecutive year from its 2010 campaign.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has appointed internationally recognized epidemiologist Linda B. Cottler the founding chairwoman of UF’s department of epidemiology, a newly created department administered jointly by the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health and Health Professions.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Technology is evolving, and the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning is ready. In fact, the college’s fourth annual Research Showcase will have a major focus on technology and how it is used, both in an educational environment and in practice.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Division of Student Affairs is sponsoring a presentation by Rey Junco titled “Meeting them where they are: Social media and student engagement” at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in the Graham Gallery, second floor of Graham Hall. The free presentation is open to public.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of women receive unnecessary surgical breast biopsies in Florida each year, University of Florida researchers state in an article published online this week by the American Journal of Surgery.

Roughly 37 million women each year have a mammogram to check for signs of breast cancer, but a costly procedure to diagnose women with cancer after a suspicious mammogram is apparently being used too often. That’s according to a new University of Florida study that suggests breast biopsies should not be the only option to diagnose abnormalities in a mammogram.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Graffiti, cults and pilgrimage activity of ancient Egypt will be the topic of discussion when Northern Arizona University’s Professor Emeritus Eugene Cruz-Uribe visits the University of Florida.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Villagers Inc., a community preservation group, and historic preservation advocate Sallye Jude will be awarded the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning 2011 Beinecke-Reeves Distinguished Achievement Award at a luncheon Friday.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — “Man is but a worm” was the title of a famous caricature of Darwin’s ideas in Victorian England. Now, 120 years later, a molecular analysis of mysterious marine creatures unexpectedly reveals our cousins as worms, indeed.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The number of reported shark attacks last year increased worldwide but declined in Florida, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File annual report released today.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of the most significant and rarely seen cultural sites in China's Forbidden City will be the subject of a lecture on Thursday by Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monuments Fund and a University of Florida alumna.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of the most significant and rarely seen cultural sites in China’s Forbidden City will be the subject of a lecture on Thursday by Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monuments Fund and a University of Florida alumna.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Twenty years after biologists attempted to determine the ecological damages to marine life from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, scientists dealing with the BP disaster find themselves with the same problem: the lack of critical data to determine the ecological consequences of human-induced environmental disasters, a University of Florida researcher said.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos will provide a preview of the upcoming 2011 Florida legislative session on Feb. 10 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Magicians Penn and Teller will be performing at the University of Florida on Feb. 9 in the Phillips Center For Performing Arts, courtesy of ACCENT Speaker’s Bureau and Student Government.

A new discovery may offer hope for people who suffer from a disorder that can lead to a stroke or cancer. University of Florida researchers have discovered a drug that regulates blood cell growth in people whose bone marrow is producing cells uncontrollably. UF researchers say the drug called G-6 targets a mutation that causes blood producing cells to go haywire thanks to a mutation in a gene called JAK-2.

Dr. Nam Dang, a professor and the deputy chief of the division of oncology, was quoted in a Jan. 23 Florida Times-Union story about a man dealing with many financial obstacles in order to survive Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida officials announced today that construction of a much-needed conference center will begin soon at its Plant Science Research and Education Unit, known as PSREU, in Citra, Fla. thanks to a gift of $1.5 million from Frank Stronach, founder and Chairman of Magna International Inc.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Theatre Strike Force, University of Florida’s premiere improvisational and sketch comedy troupe, is hosting “12 Hours of Improv,” an improv comedy marathon showcasing the best comedy UF has to offer on Feb. 25 in the Orange and Brew.